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What a break: Sandoval's bat headed to Hall

What a break: Sandoval's bat headed to Hall

SAN FRANCISCO -- At the end of the movie "The Natural," Roy Hobbs breaks his bat and stands staring at it, along with Knights batboy Bobby Savoy.

"Go pick me out a winner, Bobby," Hobbs tells him.

The batboy returns with his handmade "Savoy Special," and the rest is history.

Something very similar to that happened in the first game of the 108th World Series.

Pablo Sandoval said after Game 1 that he broke his bat after his second of three consecutive home runs. The white Marucci bat was in a sleeve and headed for the Hall of Fame, the second time this season Sandoval has given up a bat to Cooperstown, along with the All-Star Game.

Panda among October elite

Players with a multihomer game in Game 1 of the World Series

Player

Date

Team

Opp.

Res.

HR

Pablo Sandoval

10/24/2012

S.F.

Det

8-3 W

3

Chase Utley

10/28/2009

Phi.

NYY

6-1 W

2

Troy Glaus

10/19/2002

Ana.

S.F.

4-3 L

2

Greg Vaughn

10/17/1998

S.D.

NYY

9-6 L

2

Andruw Jones

10/20/1996

Atl.

NYY

12-1 W

2

Willie Aikens

10/14/1980

K.C.

Phi.

7-6 L

2

Davey Lopes

10/10/1978

L.A.

NYY

11-5 W

2

Gene Tenace

10/14/1972

Oak.

Cin.

3-2 W

2

Ted Kluszewski

10/1/1959

Chi.

LAD

11-0 W

2

Joe Collins

9/28/1955

NYY

Bro.

6-5 W

2

Sandoval said he broke it on his backswing against Justin Verlander. If you thought three home runs in a single game was legendary -- only three others have done it -- then imagine how he felt.

"The bat flew out of my hands and hit the rail on my backswing," Sandoval said, walking across the field after the clubhouse had cleared out following an 8-3 triumph over Detroit. "It made it more exciting."

Sandoval got the equivalent of a "Savoy Special" to join Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as Fall Classic immortals, the only ones to hit the homer trifecta in the World Series.

Coincidentally, the other time his bat was taken to Cooperstown, it was because of a smash off Verlander. Sandoval's big first-inning triple in Kansas City in July caused his bat to be museum-bound.

"It's exciting," Sandoval said. "It's the second bat they took there. It's exciting to be part of the Cooperstown museum."

Sandoval signed it with his name, the No. 48 and "Kung Fu Panda." That's what visitors to the Hall will see in coming years.

"We're glad to have it," said Brad Horn of the Hall of Fame. "As you can see, this one is broken, and that makes it even more remarkable."

Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. Read and join other baseball fans on his MLB.com community blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.